Study Abroad

With organizations on the lookout for people with top notch qualifications and skills
to lead and operate in the globalised market, farsighted parents and their children
are looking beyond their respective countries to explore international education.

Migration

Every year thousands of Indians migrate to their dream country to seek a better
life and brighter career prospects. Immigration allows one to live, work or settles
down in an advanced country and subsequently sponsors their family for permanent
residence in that country. Santa Monica for more than a decade has been one of the
most sought after Migration consultant in Cochin fulfilling migration dream of many.
Our dedicated Migration department headed by Canadian and Australian Immigration
attorneys can prepare your immigration application to maximize your likelihood of
success in obtaining a Canadian or Australian visa.

Introduction

From modest beginning as an information cell in Kochi, Kerala, Santa Monica has
emerged as one of the most reputed overseas education facilitator with association
across 30 + countries and over 300+ universities, with offices all over south India
and affiliated Centers throughout India.

Migration - Canada

Canada, the land of bountiful opportunities with the most positive immigration policies in the world awaits you. If you have the right education, skills, relevant work experience, proficiency in language, there are numerous options under which you may reach and settle in the Maple Country Canada.

QUICK FACTS

Canada is a Federation of ten provinces and three territories (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut).

CANADA IMMIGRATION CATEGORIES

Migrating to Canada
Eligible candidates can migrate and settle permanently in Canada through the following streams:

Federal Economic Programme (Express Entry)

Investor Immigrant

Provincial Nomination

Self-employed persons

Quebec-selected worker

Care-giver

Express Entry process is the most feasible and favoured process.

It is an immigration system which selects skilled workers to Canada under Federal Economic programs. Applicants submit their profile in the Express Entry Pool and also Job Bank portal of Canada. Canadian employers and provincial governments access the best candidates and they are invited by the Federal government to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The Federal Economic Programs are:

Federal Skilled Worker (this is the most popular program);

Federal Skilled Trade; and

Canadian Experience Class.

There are many provincial programs that an applicant may be eligible for the express entry pool.
In addition to the above federal programs, applicants may also qualify under the following provincial programs:

Federal Skilled Workers are persons with suitable education, work experience, age and language abilities under one of Canadas official languages and who are selected under the Express Entry Immigration system to apply for permanent residence.

To qualify for admission to the Express Entry Pool as a Federal Skilled Worker, applicants must meet the following conditions:

Possess one-year of continuous experience within the previous 10 years in one of the determined occupations, and

The work experience must be in a Managerial Occupation or a professional occupation in Skill Level A or a technical Occupation under Skill Level B or specified Skilled Trades classified by Government of Canada.

Score a pass mark of 67 points in the point grid comprising of the following six selection factors:

your skills in English and/or French (Canada’s two official languages),

your education,

your work experience,

your age,

whether you have a valid job offer, and

Your adaptability.

Possess language testing certificate from a recognized third party and demonstrating intermediate level language skills in English or French corresponding to the Canadian Language Benchmark of 7)

Possess sufficient settlement fund;

Undergo a successful security background and medical examination.

Entering the Express Entry Pool:

An applicant with the qualifications for one of the above programs can enter the express entry pool. The express entry process comprises 4 steps.

Step 1:

Applicants make an expression of interest by uploading their credentials to the Express Entry Pool and to the Canadian Job Bank. Once a profile is uploaded, applicants are ranked under various factors to determine their score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Profiles will remain in the pool for up to 12-months.

Step 2:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will select from the pool the highest ranking applicants. Applicants selected will receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence under a qualifying federal or provincial program. Once an invitation has been issued, the applicant will have 60 days to submit a complete application to CIC. CIC aim to process completed applications within 6 months.
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS):

Under the CRS, applicants can score up to 600 points for core human capital factors and skill transferability factors. These factors take into account the applicant’s age, education, language proficiency and work experience. The higher a CRS score, the higher the chances are of being issued an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence.

Step 3:

Preparing and submitting your employment profile to the Canada Job Bank. An Express Entry candidate who does not have a job offer in Canada must register with Canada’s Job Bank. This will increase your chances of success. A strong Job Bank profile will increase your chances of being matched with a Canadian company for employment. Although a job offer or provincial nomination is not required to enter the express entry pool, candidates with a qualified job offer or selected by a province will receive an additional 600 points and will significantly raise their CRS ranking score. However CIC expects to select most applicants without a job offer or provincial nomination.
Employment recruitment and individualized search consulting.

Step 4:

In the final stage a candidate receives an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence. At this stage candidates are required to submit all Immigration Forms, required documents and required proofs. The proofs include Certificate on qualification, Experience, Police Clearances, and Medical Reports etc.

On scrutiny, if CIC finds your application is complete and if you are found eligible you will be issued an Immigrant Visa valid through a fixed period of time. You need to arrive a Canadian Port of Entry within the specified time and get Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada.

Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry pool for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in order to meet local labour market needs.

Through Express Entry, people who meet the criteria for one of these programs will be placed into a pool of candidates. The Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, and Canadian employers will be able to select people from this pool.

Employers in Canada must first make every effort to try and find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill vacant job opportunities. Eligible employers who cannot find a Canadian or permanent resident for a permanent job will be able to consider candidates from the pool who meet their needs.

Express Entry and the Government of Canada’s Job Bank will let eligible employers in Canada and skilled foreign nationals connect with one another more easily, making integration faster once immigrants arrive in Canada.

Candidates with the highest scores in the pool will be issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

The Government of Canada is reforming its economic immigration system to ensure that Canada’s economic and labour market needs are met.

Express Entry is a key part of this. Its goal is to make the system faster and more flexible. It will improve how Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) accepts and processes applications, which will mean:

faster and more efficient processing; and

a better ability to respond to Canada’s labour market.

Under Express Entry, we will only accept applications from people we have invited to immigrate to Canada under certain economic immigration programs. This will prevent the growth of backlogs by ensuring that only the candidates who are most likely to succeed—not simply the first to submit their application—are able to apply to immigrate to Canada.

Most applicants who are invited to apply under the Express Entry system will see their electronic permanent residence applications processed within six months or less. This reduction in wait times will make it possible for Canada to keep pace with peer countries, attract the best skilled immigrants, and get them working and contributing to the Canadian economy faster.

There is no limit to the number of people who may enter the Express Entry pool. We expect this to result in a range of candidates with a greater variety of skills and experience from which employers, provinces and territories can select to meet their needs. However, we will base the number of candidates who get an ITA for permanent residence on the Annual Immigration Levels Plan. The Levels Plan will still set out the broad admission ranges for the immigration programs that are part of Express Entry.

Express Entry will create an inventory of high-quality candidates who employers in Canada will be able to consider when they cannot find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies.

Under Express Entry, labour market demand, in the form of a job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or a nomination by a province or territory will provide candidates with enough additional points and be ranked high enough to be invited to apply at the next eligible round of invitations. Rounds of invitations will be made from the Express Entry pool on a regular basis, and instructions for each round will be posted on our website. Note that all job offers will be subject to Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) LMIA requirements in place at that time.

Employers and potential candidates will also benefit from faster processing. CIC’s goal is a six-month or less processing time from the day we receive a complete application for permanent residence to the day a final decision is made.

PROVINCES/TERRITORIES

Provinces and territories will be able to nominate a certain number of foreign nationals through the Express Entry system to meet their local immigration and labour market needs. If an applicant gets a nomination from a province or territory, they will be given enough additional points to be invited to apply for permanent residence at the next eligible round of invitations.

Just as they manage their own Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) now, provinces and territories will set the criteria they use to nominate Express Entry candidates.

Express Entry candidates may either:

enter the pool first, and then be nominated by a province or territory; or

be nominated by a province or territory, and then complete an online Express Entry profile.

Note: All prospective candidates (whether PNP applicants or not) must meet the criteria of at least one of the federal immigration programs managed through Express Entry in order to enter the pool, and must submit their application online.

Provinces and territories will also continue to be able to make nominations under their regular (“base”) PNPs outside of Express Entry via a paper application process.

apply to the PNP first, get a nomination and then fill out an Express Entry profile; or

fill out the Express Entry profile first. Provinces and territories can then search the Express Entry pool and ask a candidate to apply for their PNP. When the candidate gets a nomination certificate, they will update their Express Entry profile.

In either case, once a person updates their Express Entry profile to show they have a provincial or territorial nomination certificate, they will be given enough additional points to be invited to apply at the next eligible round of invitations.

EMPLOYERS

Express Entry will give employers more recruitment options and help them better respond to labour shortages where there are no available Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Other benefits:

Eligible employers in Canada will have a direct role in recruiting economic immigrants.

Express Entry candidates with a job offer supported by an Labour Market Impact Assessment or provincial/territorial nomination will be given enough additional points to be invited to apply at the next eligible round of invitations.

Job Bank will provide an opportunity for eligible employers in Canada and Express Entry candidates to connect. Later in 2015, Job Bank will “match” eligible employers with Express Entry candidates who meet their job description when there are no Canadians or permanent residents available to do the job.

There will be no LMIA fee for permanent residence applications.

In 80% of cases, permanent residence applications will be processed in six months or less.

Yes. Starting in fall 2012, Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) held consultations with employers in Canada on building a fast and flexible immigration system.

CIC is working closely with provincial/territorial partners and ESDC to hold information sessions across the country to prepare employers for Express Entry.

National associations and provincial and local chambers of commerce have helped us identify relevant employers.

Participants represent key industries and stakeholders across Canada, such as the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Employers in Canada must first make every effort to try and find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill vacant job opportunities. Eligible employers who cannot find a Canadian or permanent resident for a permanent job will be able to consider candidates from the pool who meet their needs.

Employers can access candidates:

through their current recruiting and hiring practices, including private sector job boards; or

through Job Bank later in 2015. Job Bank will help match candidates with eligible employers in Canada and jobs based on their skills, knowledge and experience.

In some cases employers can also work with provinces and territories through the respective nominee programs.

Jobs offered to Express Entry candidates will be subject to the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements in place at that time. Those who get a job offer supported by an LMIA will quickly be given an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

Note: An ITA does not guarantee that a candidate will be granted permanent residence. Candidates still have to meet eligibility and admissibility requirements under Canada’s immigration law (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).

No. Express Entry will not include an eligible occupation list or occupation caps at the time of launch.

To be eligible to enter the pool, Express Entry candidates must have skilled work experience in a National Occupational Code (NOC) 0, A or B occupation. Jobs offered to candidates in the pool must be in one of these categories.

Job offers are also subject to the LMIA requirements in place at that time.

Employers will be able to access candidates in the pool through Job Bank. Job Bank and Express Entry will let eligible employers in Canada and eligible skilled foreign nationals connect with one another more easily.

Express Entry candidates will need to register with Job Bank if they do not already have a Canadian job offer or a provincial/territorial nomination. This will give them the opportunity to view jobs available with employers in Canada and to begin promoting themselves to employers, recruiters, private sector job boards, etc.

Later in 2015, Job Bank will “match” eligible employers with Express Entry candidates who meet their job description when there are no Canadians or permanent residents available to do the job.

Employers will also be able to direct candidates they find on their own to use Express Entry.

Yes. As long as the TFW is in Canada working under a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), you can offer them a permanent job to support their application for permanent residence. Your TFW would have to create an Express Entry profile and include their job offer information. A job offer supported by an LMIA will give a candidate enough additional points and be ranked high enough to be invited to apply at the next eligible round of invitations.

If you are considering permanently hiring a TFW and you do not have a positive LMIA for the job, you will first need to make every effort to try and find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill the job opportunity. You will need to meet LMIA requirements, including posting your job ad on Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC) Job Bank in addition to advertising in two other places. If you have done this and have been unsuccessful in filling your job opportunity, you can apply for an LMIA for the TFW through Service Canada. The TFW would then have to create an Express Entry profile, meet the minimum criteria and include their job offer information so they get enough additional points and be ranked high enough to be invited to apply at the next eligible round of invitations.

Express Entry candidates cannot usually come to Canada to work until they have their permanent resident visa. In some cases, candidates will already be in Canada with a temporary work permit.

Employers who need a worker to start before the permanent resident visa is processed, can apply for a “dual intent” Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Note that in this type of situation, an employer will need to pay the LMIA processing fee. A “dual intent” LMIA means a person can come to Canada as a temporary foreign worker (TFW) first and work while they wait for a decision on their permanent residence application. In this case, a candidate must still apply for a work permit and meet the requirements for TFWs.

Express Entry candidates who have a job offer and have been invited to apply will not automatically be given a temporary work permit or temporary resident visa.

A job offer supported by an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) will give a candidate enough additional points to be invited to apply at the next eligible round of invitations. Potential candidates who have a valid job offer or provincial/territorial nomination when they complete their Express Entry profile will not need to register with Job Bank.

JOB BANK

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) recently modernized Job Bank, which has resulted in:

an improved online user experience;

upgrades to the site’s security features to match industry standards; and

more up-to-date labour market information so that users can make better and more informed career decisions.

The enhanced Job Bank website also provides employers with information on human resources management services and Job Match. This will help employers to:

hire Canadians and permanent residents for available jobs; or

view matches of eligible foreign job seekers in the Express Entry pool if no Canadians or permanent residents are available.

Job Match, available through Job Bank, is an example of how the Government of Canada is finding ways to better utilize technology to connect employers with Canadians and eligible Express Entry candidates who have in-demand skills and training.

Job Bank and Express Entry let eligible employers in Canada and eligible skilled foreign nationals connect with one another more easily. Every effort must be made by the employer to first try and find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill their job vacancy before a skilled immigrant can be considered.

In most cases, employers wishing to hire a foreign national must register with Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC) Job Bank and post their employment ad for a minimum of 30 days (as well as meet other advertising requirements). If a Canadian or permanent resident is not found, employers can extend their job ad and broaden their candidate search to include foreign workers. If a qualified foreign national is found, the employer can then apply for an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The employer must apply for an LMIA in order to hire the foreign candidate.

ESDC will assess all LMIA applications. In many cases, employers will need a positive LMIA to make a qualifying job offer to a foreign national under Express Entry.

Should the Express Entry candidate choose to apply to a job opportunity, the recipient employer will then be required to go through their usual interview or assessment process. If the employer finds that the Express Entry candidate meets their needs, and they are eligible to hire a foreign national, they can offer them a job.

Employers with a positive LMIA will then provide this information along with a job offer letter to the candidate to include in their Express Entry profile. This is so they can more quickly be offered an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next eligible round of invitations.

Eligible employers can be matched later in 2015 with qualified candidates in the Express Entry pool.

Through Job Bank, Express Entry candidates will be able to explore jobs and, later in 2015, they will be able to sign up with Job Match to view jobs that match their skill set and qualifications.

Later in 2015, Job Bank will start to make matches between eligible employers in Canada and eligible Express Entry candidates if the employer’s job has been advertised to Canadians for one month or longer.

Employers will continue to be matched to Canadian and permanent resident Job Seeker profiles while their job is advertised on Job Bank. Matches will be made based on an employer’s job listing and a candidate’s skills, knowledge and experience. To be matched, candidates must be eligible through Express Entry.

Later in 2015, when Job Match for Express Entry candidates is in place, an eligible Express Entry candidate could be matched to more than one employer if the candidate’s skill set matches the needs of more than one job description. This could be the case for any Job Seeker profile in Job Bank.

EMPLOYER LIAISON NETWORK

The Employer Liaison Network (ELN) will help employers navigate the Express Entry system. It will provide employers with useful and up-to-date information on permanent economic immigration programs and policies related to Express Entry. Its goal is to increase employer awareness and use of the Express Entry system, as well as to facilitate matches between employers in Canada (outside of Quebec) and skilled labour overseas. The ELN will not address case-specific enquiries or work permit issues. Its focus is on the permanent resident streams (i.e. not temporary resident streams).

POTENTIAL IMMIGRANTS

First, you will express your interest in immigrating to Canada by creating an online Express Entry profile. You will give us information about your skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details that contribute to success in Canada.

If you meet the criteria, you will be put into the Express Entry pool, which is a group of people that we can invite candidates from to fill immigration spaces.

At the launch of Express Entry, you will need to create a Job Seeker Account with Job Bank if you do not already have a Canadian job offer or a provincial/territorial nomination. This will give you the opportunity to view jobs available with Canadian employers. It is important for Express Entry candidates to promote themselves to potential employers/recruiters and use private sector job boards and other resources to learn about jobs available in Canada.

Note: Candidates who create a Job Seeker Account with Job Bank between January 1 and January 25 will need to return to their Job Seeker Account after January 26 to create their profile. After January 26, candidates will be able to create their Job Seeker Account and profile without delay.

To qualify for the Express Entry pool, you must meet the criteria of at least one of three federal economic immigration programs:

Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry pool through their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) to meet local labour market needs.

You will be given a score by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Your score will be based on the information you gave in your Express Entry profile and will be used to determine your rank within the pool. Note that your score will change only when you update your profile information. How your score ranks will depend on the scores of other candidates in the pool and will change regularly as people are added and removed from the pool.

Candidates with the highest scores in the pool will be issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Candidates will be awarded points for:

a job offer;

a provincial/territorial nomination; and

skills and experience factors that contribute to success in Canada.

Note: Entry into the Express Entry pool does not guarantee you will get an ITA for permanent residence. Even if you receive an ITA, you still have to meet eligibility and admissibility requirements under Canada’s immigration law (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).

If you get an ITA, you will have 60 days to submit an online application for permanent residence in one of the immigration programs listed above. Your ITA will tell you which program you are eligible to apply for.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will process most applications (completed applications that include all the supporting documents needed) in six months or less.

faster processing times: we expect to process most applications %in six months or less, from the time we get a complete application for permanent residence to a final decision; and

an easier way to get a job offer from an eligible employer in Canada before you arrive in Canada: the Government of Canada’s enhanced Job Bank will let eligible employers in Canada and skilled foreign nationals connect with one another more easily, making economic integration faster once immigrants arrive in Canada.

No. You do not need to hire an immigration consultant or lawyer to use the Express Entry system or any other CIC immigration program, to complete an Express Entry profile, or to complete an application for permanent residence.

You may submit a new Express Entry profile, but it is not necessary. However, we will not refund any processing fees paid related to your original application. Your existing application will be processed based on the rules in place at the time you applied.

If you choose to create an Express Entry profile and are invited to apply, you will be required to submit a new application for permanent residence and the associated processing fees.

EXPRESS ENTRY PROFILE

There is no fee to submit an Express Entry profile. Language tests and Educational Credential Assessments (if you want to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, or if you completed your education outside Canada and want to get points toward your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score) are completed by third party organizations for a fee.

If you are invited to apply for permanent residence and submit an application, you will have to pay the current application processing fee. If you then decide to become a permanent resident, you will also have to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee for yourself and any dependants or family members if applicable.

Express Entry profiles will be valid for one year from the date a candidate submits a profile to CIC. If a candidate does not get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence after 12 months and they still want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant, they will need to complete and submit a new profile. Candidates will have 60 days to resubmit their existing Express Entry profile through MyCIC. They will need to update and validate the information, and if they still meet minimum entry criteria, they will receive a new Express Entry Profile Number. If they do not resubmit their profile within 60 days, they will have to complete a new profile.

EXPRESS ENTRY POOL

If you meet the criteria of one of the economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry, you will be accepted into the Express Entry pool. A job offer supported by an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from an employer in Canada is a significant asset, but not a requirement.

It is possible for you to get into the pool and be eligible for more than one immigration program. In that case, your profile would be tagged by the system to make sure it is considered for any relevant round of invitations. If you get an Invitation to Apply (ITA), the system will tell you which immigration program you are being invited to apply to.

COMPREHENSIVE RANKING SYSTEM

The CRS is the new system we will use to assess and score Express Entry candidates. It has been created based on extensive research on the best predictors of economic success for newcomers to Canada.

The CRS will include factors such as:

skills;

work experience;

language ability;

education; and

other factors that we know help immigrants prosper once in Canada.

Using the information provided in the candidate’s profile, the CRS will set the candidate’s score and rank within the Express Entry pool at any given time. Note that a candidate’s rank will change regularly, while their score will only change when they update their profile information.

Candidates with the highest scores in the pool will be issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Candidates will be awarded points for:

INVITATION TO APPLY

Candidates in the pool will be issued an ITA for permanent residence when they:

have a job offer supported by an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from an employer in Canada; or

have a nomination from a province or territory that has an immigration nominee program; or

are one of the highest-ranked candidates who qualify for one of the three federal programs under Express Entry.

Note: An ITA does not guarantee a person will be approved for permanent residence. They still have to meet admissibility requirements under Canada’s immigration law (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).

A qualifying job offer from an employer in Canada is a significant asset but not a requirement. Candidates can also obtain enough points to receive an ITA based on how high their score is on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) or if they get a provincial or territorial nomination. Provinces and territories will be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry pool through their PNPs to meet local labour market needs.

PROCESSING TIMES

Under Express Entry, we will only accept applications from people we have invited to come to Canada. This will prevent the growth of backlogs by ensuring that only the candidates who are most likely to succeed economically – not simply the first to submit their application – are able to apply to immigrate to Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) plans to process the majority of complete electronic applications (those that include all the required supporting documents) within six months or less.

Together, these will do away with multi-year waits for a final decision on permanent residence and result in faster processing times.

The six months begins once Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) confirms that a person has submitted a complete electronic application for permanent residence through the online system. It ends when a final decision is made.

In some cases, processing can be delayed, such as when an applicant needs extra time to complete their medical assessments.

The six month processing time does not include time outside the control of CIC, for example, the time it takes for an employer to obtain an LMIA, or a potential candidate to receive a provincial/territorial nomination or to arrive in Canada and land as a permanent resident.

Note: The six month processing time is for permanent residence applications under the Express Entry system. Applications received before Express Entry will be processed based on the rules in place at the time the application was received.

LANGUAGE TESTING AND EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIAL ASSESSMENTS (ECAS)

The Express Entry system uses the information in a number of different ways.

When you fill out your profile, the ECA is used (where applicable) to see if you meet the criteria to get into the Express Entry pool.

Before candidates can enter the Express Entry pool, all candidates’ profiles are awarded points through the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on their language scores and educational attainment from a Canadian institution or educational credential from a foreign institution that has been validated through an ECA report completed by an organization designated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Note: If you are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must have an ECA. If you are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Trades Program or Canadian Experience Class, an ECA is optional, but it may help you earn more points for education on the CRS and improve your chances of being invited to apply.

An ECA is required for candidates in the Express Entry pool who wish to be considered for rounds of invitations related to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, unless they were educated in Canada.

For candidates who are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Trades Program or Canadian Experience Class, an ECA is optional but may increase the points they receive on the CRS and improve their chances of being invited to apply.

No. Getting an ECA for immigration does not mean that your work experience and professional credentials are automatically recognized in Canada to get a license in a regulated profession. If you work in a regulated profession, you must still go through the process of getting your license in the province or territory that you plan on settling in. Regulatory authorities determine an applicant’s readiness for licensure by assessing and recognizing “qualifications,” which may include an assessment of education, experience/competencies and language proficiency, in addition to other requirements. Applicants intending to work in a regulated profession should contact the regulatory authority in the province where they plan to live to find out more about how to obtain licensure.

Note: ECAs done by the two professional bodies designated by CIC (Medical Council of Canada and Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada) are used by CIC for immigration purposes and are recognized by the profession’s regulatory authorities as one component of their overall licensure process. Please contact the regulatory authority in the province where you plan to live for more information on the licensure process.

For any other occupation, check the websites of the other CIC-designated organizations or contact them directly to find out which one best suits your needs. Consider the following:

Some designated organizations partner with certain regulatory bodies or large employers. That means that the ECA you obtain for your application to CIC might also help you later on.

Check with each designated organization to find out what other organizations recognize their assessments.

When you create your Express Entry profile, you will have to include the test identifier and results score of your language test. If you completed your education outside Canada, you will also have to show what your (ECA) report lists as the equivalent Canadian education. You must also include the report’s reference number (sometimes known as the “CIC number”). We will verify the information you gave us with the testing/assessment organizations if you are invited to apply for permanent residence.

You should also update your profile any time you receive updated language test scores or ECA results.

Note: If you are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must have an ECA that indicates that your foreign educational credentials are equivalent to a completed Canadian credential. If you are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Trades Program or Canadian Experience Class, an ECA is optional, but it may help you earn more points for the education component on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and improve your chances of being invited to apply.

If you get an ITA, we may ask for more information about your results as we process your application for permanent residence.

Note: When you apply for permanent residence, your language tests and/or ECAs will be validated with the organization that issued them. If you give false information at any point in the process, you could be:

FOREIGN CREDENTIAL RECOGNITION

Each province and territory is responsible for licensing regulated professions and trades through regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities. However, there may be different requirements for licensing depending on where you live. Also, some professions are not regulated in every province.

Employers may choose to make a job offer to a prospective immigrant for a related occupation while they work toward getting licensed.

Note: If you work in a regulated profession, you must go through the process of getting your license in the province or territory that you plan on settling in. An Education Credential Assessment (ECA) or an Invitation to Apply (ITA) does not mean that your work experience and professional credentials are automatically recognized in Canada.

If you plan to work in an occupation that is regulated in Canada, you should contact the regulatory authority in the province or territory where you plan to live as soon as possible. They can give you information about the process for being licensed.

As part of the reforms being made by the Government of Canada to its economic immigration system, improvements to foreign credential recognition (FCR) and the way credentials are recognized are being prioritized.

Increased collaboration with provinces and territories, regulatory authorities, and professional bodies is resulting in the development of steps to make their license and assessment tools accessible to potential immigrants before they come to Canada, giving immigrants a head start on the recognition of their qualifications.

Through an Education Credential Assessment (ECA), a potential Express Entry candidate’s foreign educational credentials are authenticated and assessed against Canadian standards. This allows applicants to have a better sense of how their education fits into the Canadian labour market and helps them make more informed choices about immigration and Canadian career paths. There are currently five organizations designated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to deliver ECA services for immigration purposes, including two professional bodies (Medical Council of Canada and the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada). Work is being done to add more organizations and professional bodies to the list of those designated to provide ECA services.

Note: If you are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must have an ECA that indicates that your foreign educational credentials are equivalent to a completed Canadian credential. If you are hoping to apply to the Federal Skilled Trades Program or Canadian Experience Class, an ECA is optional, but it may let you earn more points for the education component on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and improve your chances of being invited to apply.

All ECAs included in an Express Entry profile will be validated with the issuing organization when an application for permanent residence is submitted for processing.

FRAUD

We expect applicants to be truthful in their self-declared Express Entry profile and Application for Permanent Residence. During processing, an immigration officer will review and validate all information. Anyone who has provided false information could be found inadmissible for misrepresentation and could be barred for five years from applying for permanent resident status. This includes applications completed by immigration consultants and lawyers.

BUDGET FUNDING AND LEGISLATION

Economic Action Plan 2014 committed $14 million over two years and $4.7 million ongoing to implement the Express Entry system.

Additionally, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) received funding for two key components for employer participation in the Express Entry system:

Job Match/Job Bank will receive $11.8 million over 2 years and $3.3 million ongoing to enhance the job match service; and

The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) (now Labour Market Impact Assesment (LMIA)) process also received funding of $11 million over 2 years and $3.5 million ongoing to enhance and strengthen the LMO process, including improved processing times for certain applications.

Foundational legislation to create the Express Entry application management system was introduced in Bill C-4 (Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2) and received Royal Assent in December 2013.

These amendments added a new division to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which established a pre-application stage as the first step in immigrating to Canada under certain economic programs. In addition, this division includes broad provisions outlining the Express Entry process, the required information-sharing measures, as well as measures enabling a role for third parties (provinces, territories and employers) under this new system.

As a result of ongoing policy development and work with provinces and territories to design and implement the Express Entry system, further legislative amendments were introduced as part of Bill C-31 (Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1). Bill C-31 solidified the existing legislative framework and enabled certain technical and operational requirements in advance of the January 2015 launch date.

Key changes included in these amendments will:

require that claims made at the time an Express Entry profile is submitted continue to be true at the time Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) receives an application for permanent residence;

ensure that third party determinations, such as language test results or Education Credential Assessments (ECA), can be required at Express Entry submission stage;

require that information from Express Entry candidates be provided electronically,Footnote * including their application for permanent residence; and

enable the Express Entry system to be applied to the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) in order to encourage provincial and territorial use.